Combined ladder and scaffold.



M. McVIGKAR.

COMBINED LADDER AND SGAITOLD.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1912. 1,12 ,539, Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

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0 515 ,(P I n 0 5' 19- /7 l amuewto'o THE NORRIS PETERS Co PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, n. C.

M. MOVICKAR- COMBINED LADDER AND SCAFFOLD.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 18, 1912.

1,126,539. Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

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THE NORRIS PETERS co. PHOTO-LITHOU WASHINGTON. D C

MATTHEW MCVICKAR, OF SCH-ANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED LADDER AND CAFFOLD.

Application filed June 18, 1912.

To all whom, it may concern Beit known that I, MATTHEW MoVIoKAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combined Ladders and Scaffolds, of which the following is a specification.

in object of the invention is to provide a combined ladder and scaffold.

' The invention embodies, among other features, a ladder section, prop section therefora scaffold and a scaffold supporting frame, the said prop section being arranged between the ladder and the scafiold supporting frame to simultaneously support the ladder and an end of the scaffold, the other end of the scaffold being supported by the scatl'old supporting frame, Withmeans for securing the ladder and scaffold supporting frames in locked position, and means for adjusting the scaffold on the prop section .and scaffold supporting frame, the mentioned prop section being foldable on the ladder, the scaffold being foldable on the scaffold supporting frame and the scaffold supporting frame and scaffold being foldable on the ladder supporting frame.

In the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying draivings constituting a part of this specifi- 'ation, in which similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which:

Figurel is a perspective view of my combined ladderand scaffold, showing the same in applied position; is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the device as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device showii'ig the same in folded po sition Fig at is a vertical longitudinal sectional vievv of the device as shown in folded position in Fig. Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation showing the. means for securing the supporting frames ofmy device in locked position; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of my device showing the auxiliary supporting frame and a portion of the scat fold supported thereby.

' Referring more particularly to the views, .T employ a ladder section 10 consisting of the usual uprights 11 provided With cross pieces 12 constituting steps or rungs, a prop section 13 being provided to support the ladder section 10 in operative position, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Jan. as, 19th. Serial No. 704,377.

said prop section consisting preferably of side rails 14. having hinged connection with the ladder section 10 at the upper ends of the side rails 1% of the prop section 13 and the uprights ll of the ladder section 10, a cross bar 1 being mounted to connect the side rails is. adjacent the lOWQl ends thereof to retain the side rails 14 in relatively rigid position.

Braces 16 have pivotal connection With the uprights ll of the ladder section 10 and similar braces 17 have pivotal connection with the uprights lat of the prop section 13-, the free ends of the braces 16 being provided with elongated openings 1 having restricted entrances l9, locking members 20 being journaled on the free ends of the braces 17 and adapted for reception in the openings 18 by being passed through the re stricted entrances 19, the mentioned locking members 20 each consisting of an elliptical body 21 having formed therewith a knob or handle 22, the openings 18 being elongated horizontally so that in order to lock the braces 16 With the braces 17, the locking members 20 must be turned on the braces 1? so that the elliptical bodies 21 thereof Will be disposed vertically to permit of the passage of the elliptical bodies through the entrances 19. after which, by turning the knobs the elliptical bodies can be moved to horizontal positions, thus locking the braces 16 with the braces 17, as Will be readily understood, pins 23 being provided to en tend laterally from the braces 16 and ha"- ing pivotal connection with the braces 17, thus at all times retaining the braces 16 and l? in pivotal engagement, the locking menr hers 20 being simply provided to lock the braces 1'6 and 17 in relatively rigid position and retain the ladder supporting frame 1 in rigid position relatively to the la dc er section 10.

In a similar manner arms have pivotal. connection with the prop section 13, the said arms being adapted to lie in the same horizontal plane as the braces 16 and 17 to engage braces 26 having pivotal connection with the scaffold supporting frame 27, the braces25, 26 being pivotally connected in the same manner that the braces 16 and 17 are connected, the braces 26 being also provided with looking members 28 similar to the looting members 20 and adapted to connect with the braces 25 to retain the braces 25, 26 in relatively rigid position, thus also retaining the scaffold supporting frame 27 in rigid position relatively to the prop section 13.

The scaffold supporting frame 27 preferably consists of a plurality of uprights 29 connected by cross pieces 30, the upper ends of the uprights 29 being provided with a series of openings 31 extending transversely through the uprights 29 and adapted to receive therein a supporting rod 32, stirrups 33 being secured to the under side of one end of a scaffold body 34 and adapted to loosely receive the supporting rod 32 therethrough, thus mounting the scaffold body 34 to swing on the scaffold supporting frame 27, as will be readily understood by referring to the views, it being further seen that the supporting rod 32 can be readily removed from the stirrup 33 and lowered to pass through other openings 31 in the scaffold supporting frame 27, the supporting rod being then reengagcd with the stirrups 33 to support an end of the scaffold body 34 in a lower posi tion on the scaffold supporting frame 27, thus providing for an adjustment of the mentioned end of the scaffold body. The other or free end of the sca'dold body 34 has a U-shaped plate 35 secured to the under side thereof, the said plate being adapted to receive a supporting rod 36 removably mounted in the upper end of the ladder sup porting frame 13, thus supporting the scaffold body 34 in substantially horizontal position on the ladder supporting frame 13 and the scaffold supporting frame 27.

Mounted to swing on the upper end of the ladder supporting frame 13 is an auxiliary scaffold supporting frame 37, consisting of connected bars 38 provided with notches 39 forming lugs 40, constituting seats 41 for the reception of the supporting rod 36 of the ladder supporting frame 13, suitable arms 42 being mounted to swing on the lower ends of the bars 38 and having pivotal connection with the ladder supporting frame 13 to retain the bars 38 in rigid and vertical position, the mentioned auxiliary scaffold supporting frame 37 being adapted to fold against the under side of the ladder supporting frame 13 when the device is folded, as will be hereinafter more fully disclosed, it being readily understood that when the supporting rod 32 is lowered on the scaffold supporting frame 27, the supporting rod 36 must also be lowered and mounted upon the auxiliary scaffold supporting frame 37 in order that the scafl'old body 34 may be retained in horizontal posi tion, thus permitting of an adjustment of the scaffold body 34, whereby the scaffold body can be readily lowered or raised relatively to the ladder supporting frame 13, and the scafiold supporting frame 27, it being further understood that the combined ladder and scaffold described can be readily employed with or without the auxiliary supporting frame 37, the said auxiliary supporting frame being substantially disclosed in Fig. 6 and constituting a modified form of my device.

Now assuming that the device is in applied position as shown in Fig. 1, when it is desired to'fold the entire device, the free end of the scaffold body 34 is first swung upwardly to disengage the plate 35 of the scaffold body from the supporting rod 36, after which the scaffold body is released to gravitationally swing downward and lie adjacent the scaffold supporting frame 27, the mentioned plate 35 being adapted to receive therein one of the cross pieces 30 of the scaffold supporting frame 27. The braces 25, 26 are 110w relatively unlocked by means of the movable locking members 28, the said 1 braces being swung upwardly so that the elongated openings in the braces 25 will receive pins 43 secured to the uprights of the prop section 13, for the purpose of retaining the braces 25 in folded position, notches 44 being formed in the braces 25 to receive therein the locking members 28 of the braces 26, said locking member being then swung into locked position, thus relatively locking the braces 25 and 26 and also looking the lower end of the scaffold supporting frame 27 to the prop section 13, the scaffold body 34 being arranged between the mentioned scaffold supporting frame and ladder sup- 7 porting frame. Suitable spring-like catches 45 are preferably provided on the upper ends of the uprights 14 of the prop section 13, the said catches being adapted to receive the upper ends of the uprights 29, of the scaffold supporting frame 27 ,to rigidly secure the upper end of the scaffold supporting frame 27 to the upper end of the prop section 13. The members 20 are now moved into unlocked position to permit of swinging the braces 16 and 17 upwardly, thus drawing the ladder section 10 toward the ladder supporting frame 13, having the scaffold supporting frame 27 and scaffold body 34 rigidly connected thereto, the looking members 20 on the braces 17 being received in notches 46 formed in the braces 16, after which the locking members are moved into locking position as mentioned heretofore, thus securing the braces 16 and 17 in rigid and folded position and also retaining the ladder section 10 in locked engagement with the prop section 13, having the scaffold supporting frame and scaffold body locked thereto as mentioned heretofore, the entire device being now in folded and portable position as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that the device can be easily unfolded and quickly placed in operative position, the various parts of the device being adapted to coact to support the ladder and the scaffold body when the device is in open position, the locking members being provided to securely lock the supporting frames relatively to the ladder section 10 and the scaffold body 34, when the device is folded or swung into closed position.

It will be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific construction of the device as disclosed in the drawings and described in the specification and that various departures may be made from the disclosures herein without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of the invention being defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my claim:

In a combined ladder and scaifold, the combination with a prop section, of a platform, a support provided with a series of apertures, a rod on the support and passing through a plurality of the said apertures,

invention, I

with the said rod adjustable on the support and the said platform having swinging connection with the rod, a U-shaped member secured to the under side of the platform and engaging the prop section for connecting one end of the platform with the prop section, whereby the platform will hold the upper portion of the support relatively to the prop section, and removably connected link members connecting the lower portion of the prop section and the lower portion of the support whereby the lower section of the support will be held against movement relatively to the prop section without, however, preventing an adjustment of the platform on the upper portion of the support.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MATTHEW MoVIOKAR. lVitnesses F. W. GRAHAM, A. J. MORGAN.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

